“My hope over time is that some of the things, the couple of things that’s been pulled, come back. I have great hope on that and great optimism on that,” Reuters quoted Cook as saying.

There’s quite a lot to unpack from such a short statement.

Firstly, Apple didn’t just remove a “couple of things” from the reach of China-based users. It would be more accurate to say a couple of hundred, but even that is under counting.

Initial reports in July, when news of the removals surfaced, suggested that around 60 apps, mostly VPNs, were removed from the Chinese version of the App Store. However, last month, two U.S. senators put the number at 674 apps in 2017, more than double the total removed last year, and they include mainstream services like Skype.

As for whether apps will be returned to the App Store, Cook is looking to positives when all signs in reality indicate otherwise.

Tim Cook asked about Apple pulling apps from its store: “My view is you show up and you participate because nothing ever changes from the sidelines” adds that “each country in the world decides their laws and their regulations.”

While Cook is right that “nothing ever changes from the sidelines,” it is hard to imagine China relaxing its stance on web censorship given all that has happened.

The reality is that Apple had little choice but to follow Beijing’s line in order to continue to do business in the lucrative Chinese market, but statements like Cook’s today are dangerous because they massively underplay the severity of the situation.

Featured Image: Stephen Lam/Getty Images

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Join over 3.000 visitors who are receiving our newsletter and learn how to optimize your blog for search engines, find free traffic, and monetize your website.

We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.